Pump plunger



Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRANK" W'ILCOlVI .AND EDWARD HALEY, OF OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA.

PUMP PLUNGER.

Application filed January 21, 1924. Serial No. 687,572.

To,l all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that we, FRANK VILCOM and EDWARD J. HALEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Okmulgee, in th-e county of Okmulgee and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pump Plungers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to plungers especially adapted for use oncross head water pumps of oil well drilling engines.

The Ajax steam engine for oil well drilling' is one of the leading engines in the oil elds and is provided with a pum-p operated from.v the cross head and adapted to maintain an adequate supply of water in the boiler. This pump is open only at one end and isv provided with no means whereby the cups may be expanded while within the cylinder or barrel and consequently to. adjust,v the cups it is necessary to completely remove the plunger and make the adjustment while the cups are outside. The cups are not easily returned to the cylinder and in man-yl cases are badly cut and mutilated. Also the salty nature of the water ruste the holding nut within the barrel with the result that the nut drops oft and possibly breaks the pump.

Therefore7 it is an important aim of this invention to provide a plunger having siniple means whereby the cups may be freely and quicklvintroduced into the cylinder or barrel in their normal or contracted state and subsequently expanded into liquid-tight engagement with the barrel by a simple adjustment from the exterior of the pump.

A further object and which is tobe especially considered in connection with an engine of this type is to provide a plunger which may be freely passed through and connected to the cross head without disn mantling the engine or in any way altering its Construction.

A further object is to provide a plunger of the character specified which is of highly simplified construction, durable in use and cheap to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the Course of the following description.

In the accompanying' drawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a perspective of the improved plunger applied to the cross head water pump of a steam engine.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view illustrating the cups in their contracted. positions so that the same may be freely and quickly introduced into the barrel without damage to the cups.

Figure 3` is a similar View illustrating the cups expanded after being positioned i-n the barrel.

Figure 4 is a group view illustrating the plunger, the cups and associated elements.

Figure 5 is a perspective of the plunger.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a steam engine especially adapted for use in drilling wells and which is provided with a cylinder 6 having the usual piston to which a cross head 7 is connected by means not shown.

Figure 1 illustrates that a barrel or cylinder 8 of a cross head water pump is se-fy cured to one side of the engine by means of clamps 9 or other suitable fastening devices. It will be seen that one end' of the pump 8 is provided with a closed or solid head and thus access to the cups from this end of thel pump` for the purpose of making adjustment is impossible.

The other end of the barrel is open for the reception cfa plunger 1 2, the rear portion of which is threaded and is extended through and connected to the cross head by means of fastening nuts 14. The fastening nuts 1l are turned tightly in engagement with opposite sides of the cross head whereby the plunge" is rigidly connected to the cross head.

Special attention is directed to Figure l which illustrates that the forward end of the plunger 12 is provided with an integral head 159 the inner side of which is beveled inwardly for engagement with one of a pair of cups 16. The other cup 16 is engaged by the beveled inner side 17 of an annulus 18. A spacing member 19 is freely mounted on the plunger 12 and is provided with annular flanges 20 which are received in the cups.

It is believed to be obvious that when the annulus 18 is forced in the direction of the head 15 the cups 16 will be expanded into liquid-tight engagement with the wall of the barrel. The cup contact surfaces of the head 15 and the annulus 18 are beveled inwardly to the periphery of the plunger and therefore press the cups outwardly with a uniform degree of pressure and without cutting or in any way damaging the cups.

Figures 1 and 5 illustrate that a tubular liner 22 is slidably mounted on the plunger rod 12 and is engaged by an adjusting nut 23 threaded on the rear portion of the plunger rod. The nut 23 is entirely separate from the liner 22 and merely presses against the end of the liner to force the liner to its cup expanding position. As the tubular liner 2 isinteriorly and eXteriorly smooth and is of the same internal and eX- ternal diameters throughout it may be cheaply manufactured and conveniently applied.

t is important to note that preparatory to introducing the cups into the pump it is necessary to move the plunger rod rearwardly a substantial distance through the cross head 7 and then advance the plunger rod so that the cups are received in the rear end of the barrel as illustrated in Figure 2. rlhis is possible only by the peculiar arn rangement illustrated.

The 'cups are introduced into the barrel in the contracted form illustrated in Figure 2 and this prevents the cups from being mutilated or cut while being forced into the barrel. After the cups are in position it is merely necessary to tighten the nut 23 `and the liner 22 will move forwardly on the rod and expandy the cups into liquid-tight engagement withV the barrel. This may be done at any time withoutv in any way dismantling the engine and without interferingwith the operation of the engine.

The employment of the integral head 15 on the rod 12 provides an extremely reliable construction since the head will not drop ofl' or break as the result of rust. It might also be pointed out that the nut 23 is prevented from loss by the nuts 14 employed for holding the cross head in position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. The combination with an engine hav ing a cross head and a pump attached to the engine, of a plunger rod extending through the cross head and received in said pump,

the forward portion of said plunger rod being provided withy a head, a pair of eX- pansible cups mounted on said rod, a spiacing member mounted on said rod between said cups and having its ends formed with L rod, a separate liner of the saine internal v and external diameters throughout freely mounted on said rod and engaging said annulus, a nut threaded on said rod between' said cross head and engaging said liner to hold Lthe same in cup-expanding position.

2. A plunger for cross head water pumps of steam engines comprising a rod having its forward portion provided with an integral head, a pair of cups mounted on said rod, a spacing member mounted on said rod between said cups and having flanges received in said cups, an annulus'mounted for free movement on said rod, the cup contact surfaces of said annulus and said head being beveled inwardly to the periphery of the rod, an interiorly and exteriorly smooth tubular liner of the same internal and external diameter throng-hout mountedv on said rod and engaging said annulus, a separate nut threaded on said rod and engaging said tubular liner, and fastening nuts mounted on said rod rearwardly of said separate nu?J and adapted to engage opposite sides of the cross head of a steam engine. v f v 3. A plunger for cross head water pumps` comprising a rod having its forward end provided with a head, a pair of cups mounted on said rod, a spacer mountedbetween said cups, an annulus engaging one of said cups, a tubular liner mounted for free longitudinal movement on said rod and engaging said annulus, and a nut threaded on said plunger and adapted toV contact with the rear end of said tubular member for holding the tubular member in cup expanding position.

EDWARD J. HaLnY. `FRANK wiLcoM. 

